Ending Back Pain for Good

Why is it difficult for so many back pain sufferers to find lasting relief?

The numbers tell a frustrating story:

• In a recent Consumer Reports survey, 88% of more than 14,000 subscribers who had lower back pain reported that it had recurred during the prior 12 months.
• Other research suggests that recurrence may affect one-third to one-half of all back pain sufferers.

While it’s difficult to put a precise number to it, it’s still very clear that many people experience back pain as a recurring problem.
Professor Doune Macdonald and fellow researchers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane were interested in learning why some people experienced a recurrence of their back pain while others did not. Their investigation found an association between recurrence of low back pain and altered muscle activity in the deep muscle fibers of the lumbar spine. These muscles are also referred to as your “core” muscles, the ones that are most targeted in Pilates training. Your core muscles give strength, balance and stability to the back, and consist of muscles in the lower back, abdomen and pelvis.

When it comes to the stability of your back, the most important core muscles are the multifidus. These run along the length of the spine and help to take some of the pressure off the vertebral discs so that weight is more evenly distributed along the length of the back. When working properly, the multifidus muscles are activated even before any movement takes place, so as to protect the spine against injury from a sudden load of weight (such as when lifting a heavy box or bending over to tie your shoes).

According to a study published in the journal Pain in 2009, Macdonald and colleagues found that the multifidus muscles showed later activation in those with recurrent low back pain than in the backs of healthy subjects. Any delay in muscle activation can be a potential problem, as a sudden loading of weight on the spine when it is unprepared can lead to abnormal bending and twisting of the spine, increasing the risk of injury.

Maintaining or building strong multifidus muscles is one of the obvious solutions to preventing the recurrence of low back pain. However, part of the problem is that once this set of muscles has been injured, the multifidus tends to atrophy due to disuse while the patient is healing. Prolonged bed rest is one of the worst ways to recover from low back pain because it encourages the multifidus to atrophy even further.

What types of treatment offers the greatest promise for back pain patients?

Chiropractic care that includes rehabilitation exercises alongside spinal adjustments has been shown to improve the function of the multifidus muscles. Your chiropractor is specially trained to prescribe targeted exercises you can do at to home to strengthen your core muscles between office visits. The adjustments themselves will align your spine so that it functions properly and will not put excess strain on the supporting multifidus, thus reducing the likelihood of a recurrence of low back pain.

Chiropractic physicians are experts in diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions that affect the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. By addressing the underlying structural causes of back pain, we are often able to eliminate pain and restore function without the use of drugs or surgery. If you or someone you care about is looking for a lasting  Lower Back Pain Treatment, call or visit our office today!